Saints and Sinners
by windlily
Summary: With a turf war on the horizon, four unlikely friends band together, determined to survive at all costs. This proves easier said than done when enemies arise at every turn. Even in the mirror. Gang AU starring the Fab Four.
1. Lion and Mouse

Yes. I am writing a story outside of the Bleach fandom. I checked, and hell hasn't quite frozen over just yet, but it was getting a bit chilly by the time I left.

This is actually a story I've wanted to write for a long time, but I held off because of the length and the depth involved. All of the hype about the anime reboot and the Chimera Ant Arc ending, however, finally gave me the inspiration to just go for it. Finally graduating might have helped a little too. Maybe.

And so, without further ado, I give you the first chapter of _Saints and Sinners_, a gang war AU starring the fabulous four that I hope you can all enjoy.

* * *

><p><em>"And then I crashed into you<em>  
><em>And I went up in flames"<em>

_Crashed, Chris Daughtry_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter One<strong>

Lion and Mouse

* * *

><p>He ran.<p>

He no longer cared where. He just knew he couldn't stop. Reminders in the form of his echoing name kept him from resting, even for a moment.

The streets blurred before him. Was he speeding up, or was his awareness slowing down? Probably the latter. Damn. He wasn't tired. Not truly. But he was confused. Anxious. Angry. Doubtful.

He was scared.

There was his name again. Hastily, he spun around a corner and forced his protesting legs to increase their pace. His legs were hardly what he should be worrying about, but experience told him he'd be much better off concentrating on them than on his ruined arm. It didn't hinder his movement as long as he held it in place. He could endure until he lost them. If he was even capable of losing them...

He would lose them. He knew everything there was to know about losing people. It was part of his job. He grimaced as pain shot up his arm after an unintentional squeeze. Damn, that bastard. Sure, he could endure, but if anyone knew how to really make someone hurt, it was that guy. At least the bastard wasn't aiming to kill today.

This was new. He had never gone this far. He'd never experienced this situation before, and for once, he had no idea how he was supposed to react. He had always done whatever he'd been told. There were consequences for not paying attention. Fatal consequences. But today had just been one too many. One too many orders. One too many targets. One too many _days_. He didn't want to deal with it right now. He knew this couldn't last forever; he knew that he would only be in for worse pain because of this stupid move. But none of that mattered. He would stand by his stupid move because it was _his_. For once, it was his own impulsive, reckless, stupid choice. And that was infinitely better than any intelligent and calculated choices that had been made for him.

So he ran.

He ran right into a wall.

"Ouch!"

Scratch that. Walls didn't lament their injuries while falling backward on their behinds.

Through the near blackness of the night, he squinted at his victim. Though victim may not have been the right word; he really had felt like he hit a wall. A literal crown of black hair rose up from the guy's scalp, framing a wide forehead. It was hard to tell in the dark whether he was tan or just dirty. Maybe both. Lean muscle rippled beneath a loose tank top and shorts, not exactly your standard late night walking outfit. But he couldn't have been older than thirteen or fourteen. Not with that goofy expression, as if he was both extremely happy and equally upset and couldn't for the life of him choose which emotion to roll with. The end result made him look a bit like a Picasso, awkward and lopsided. Wrapped around one arm was an orange leash. Oh, that explained it. He hadn't knocked the kid down. He must have stopped while the pet kept going, and the idiot probably tripped over his own-

"Is that a bear?"

The other kid didn't answer though. He traced those wide brown eyes back to his arm and grimaced. That bastard rarely drew blood, but then this wound had been intentionally nonfatal. The dark red goop drained down from his elbow and by now was gathering in his palm. With a frustrated growl, he hauled the useless appendage up and wrapped his shirt around it in a make-shift cradle. He couldn't afford to leave a blood trail.

Then he heard it again. That voice.

"Killua!"

It drifted muffled over the surrounding buildings, but anywhere within hearing distance was far, far too close.

"Shit!" he cursed through clenched teeth, disregarding the other kid in order to get moving again.

Apparently that kid had something else in mind. Just as Killua passed him, he felt a rough grip on his uninjured arm yank him in a different direction. Teal eyes widened in momentary shock before narrowing. The way he'd been staring at his arm...

Well, if he was honest with himself, this arrangement was probably better for him. Having someone so obviously comfortable with this area, what with walking around alone at night like that, be his guide would get him farther than running around in circles on his own. Even if he was technically faster alone. The problem was that if that bastard found out someone was helping him... No. He couldn't think about that now. The real problem was where this guy was taking him.

"No hospitals!" he hastily ground out. No paper trail. That would be nothing short of a flashing neon sign with his name on it.

The kid came to an abrupt stop, looked back at his frustrated luggage, offered him a curt nod, and then took off again.

...What the hell kind of idiot heard an injured person say "no hospitals" and actually listened?

The kind that hauled bear cubs over their shoulders while dragging strangers down abandoned alleys, apparently. The bear didn't seem all that bothered by the treatment from what he could see. Somehow, it was like the animal knew everything would work out. He wasn't so confident though. This kind of person... This kind of crazy, determined, helpful person wouldn't stand a chance against that bastard. He probably wouldn't even think twice about facing him head on. Killua absolutely couldn't let that bastard see that he was getting help. Just because having a guide made the situation better for him didn't mean it would end well for his good Samaritan.

"Hey, you-"

"We're here!"

Before he could argue, that kid pulled him down a small, dirty alleyway and right up to a dead end. A dead end. He opened his mouth to curse in frustration, but found a tanned palm shoved against his lips. The kid held a single finger to his own mouth and then turned to the side wall. There, painted the same color as the bricks, was a nondescript door.

The kid quietly leaned in, setting his ear to the door. After a few seconds he pulled back and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Hey, it's me, Gon! I've got another stray! He's in really bad shape! You have to help him now! If you don't-"

Thunderous sounds emitted from the other end of the wall, and the door swung open with all the force of a hurricane. Before he could even catch a glimpse of who opened it, Gon was leading him around a pair of spindly legs.

"Hurry! Close the door and lock it! Don't let anybody else in this way, no matter what they say!"

Killua could only stand dumbly and blink as he allowed his eyes to adjust to the sudden light of the sparsely furnished sitting room in which he now found himself.

That crazy kid, Gon apparently, was arguing with a man in suit pants and a half buttoned shirt. The man's eyes were narrowed, brows twitching with a vengeance, and his hair had that special brand of lift a person could only obtain after countless hours of running his hand through it out of frustration. His mouth was working like a well oiled machine, pumping aggravated profanities and confused accusations. He swore that mouth was big enough to swallow the kid whole, but Gon wasn't backing down, didn't even seem upset as he calmly clued the guy in on what had happened.

"Dammit, Gon. I can't keep doing this. I'm a doctor! You know, _for humans!_ You keep bringing in all these strays, and my practice will come under suspicion!" the man lamented as he ran his hand frustratedly through his hair. (He so called that one.)

"That's great news!" Gon countered unfazed before grabbing his stray and pulling him in between himself and the angry doctor. "Because this stray is a human!"

The aforementioned stray laughed nervously, waving as his and the doctor's eyes met, and he watched the man's expression morph from irritation to concern. Slowly the man's gaze dropped to his bloodstained shirt in which his injured arm was still wrapped tightly against his chest. Even with his arm hidden up to the elbow, the offending weapon was still visible, sticking grotesquely out of his joint like he was some living voodoo doll. After seeing that, the man's demeanor completely changed.

"Gon, get the antiseptic and a pair of scissors. Tie Kon's leash to the heaviest thing you can find, wash your hands, and then ready the closest clinic room. I've got to wash this out. C'mon, kid."

Holding onto his wrist, the doctor gently led the injured boy into the cleanest restroom he'd ever seen. He shifted uncomfortably at the overwhelming chemical smell, but his latest guide wouldn't let go. How had that doctor guy gotten so serious so quickly? He hadn't expected him to be useful at all, but now he actually seemed confident in what he was doing.

"Leorio."

"Huh?" He snapped out of his musings upon hearing the unfamiliar word.

"You were staring at me, so I thought I should tell you my name. I'm Leorio. I'm a doctor, and this is my clinic, so you're going to be fine. I promise. Okay?"

He was quiet for a moment before scoffing. "How is that supposed to reassure me, huh? I've never heard of you," he retorted. "You could be the worst doctor in the world for all I- Ow!"

He shut his mouth when Leorio conspicuously bumped his injured arm, but he glared daggers at the man as he turned the knob on the sink and let the water run.

"Obviously it's not as bad as it looks if you can still talk back like that. Off with the shirt."

"Not a chance, pervert."

"Oi, oi," the man growled, his dark brows twitching once more. "You are the exact opposite of cute. The damn shirt's ruined anyway. Get rid of it before your arm starts sticking to it."

"I can just roll up my sleeve," the reluctant patient insisted before doing just that.

Leorio rushed to stop him, slamming a knee to the tiled floor when he leaned down to reach the boy's arm. "You'll have to cut the sleeve open, or else you'll dislodge the needle!" he hissed. "You could render the whole arm useless if you jostle it around too much!"

"I'd have to do that if I took off the shirt too!" he shot back.

"I know! That's why I told Gon to get scissors."

"That's just annoying! Here, I'll do it."

And before the doctor's disbelieving eyes, Killua yanked the object right out of his elbow.

* * *

><p>"GAAAAAAAAAAH!"<p>

"Hm? Did Leorio stub his toe again?"

The blond chuckled at the thought as he opened the car door to his red Civic. Leorio had always been convinced he was secretly a sadist. Kurapika wondered how he could have ever thought he'd been trying to keep it secret.

Effeminate hands grasped a large, antique lamp, and the young man hauled it carefully out of the passenger seat. He didn't seem to have any problem with the weight, but the shape of the lamp was awkward and required him to curve his torso into an uncomfortable crescent. If only he'd been gifted a woman's hips instead of his pretty face. At least that would have been useful right now.

With a sigh, he kicked the car door shut and turned on the alarm. The neighborhood he found himself in was unkind, both to its residents and to its visitors, and he wasn't willing to risk it. Inheritance may have afforded him some luxuries, but that didn't mean he was ready to donate _another_ car to the next lucky stranger carrying a pry bar.

He paid little attention to the dirty bricks and cement rubble along his journey as he crossed the street and made his way up the steps to Leorio's makeshift clinic. The day before, the man had called to let him know he was running low on supplies, and as it turned out some of those supplies weren't exactly items he could obtain legally. Honestly, the nerve of that guy. Going around and saying he'll treat people for free and then asking _him_ to supply his business! The idiot should have thought about that before he dropped out of school. No, that wasn't fair. Kurapika shook the thought out of his head as quickly as it came and allowed himself a heavy sigh. If he had truly been annoyed with the doctor, he wouldn't have been here. It was with that knowledge that he knocked on the front door and waited for Leorio's aggravated voice to start ranting about the time of night.

Instead, the door was opened by a grinning Gon Freecss. Kurapika was taken by surprise but only for a moment. The boy looked too content to be there for another sick animal. "Gon, how are you? Did you trick Leorio into helping you with another stray?"

The boy laughed as he accepted Kurapika's heavy burden and allowed the blond to enter the clinic. "Yup! It sounds like they're having a lot of fun."

Indeed, the cacophony coming from the next room was deafening. Kurapika removed his coat and hung it from the designated hooks, moving slowly as he tried to make out individual words and voices. Wait. There was more than one voice. Kurapika turned to his companion with a frown.

"Gon..."

"Yeah," the boy nodded from behind the lamp. He set it down on the empty table in the center of the waiting room. "That's my stray. I found him running away from someone. They must have attacked him for some reason. He didn't say much to me, but he can't seem to stop talking to Leorio. I'm glad. I was really starting to worry that he wasn't okay."

Although the boy was smiling, Kurapika could see he was still worried. There was a clear difference between his usual carefree smile and the tight one he wore now. With a small nod, he patted him on the head. He really was a good kid.

"If Leorio is so energetic, it must mean he knows his patient will be okay, right?"

Gon stared blankly up at him for a few seconds. Then he brought out a real smile.

"Right!"

"LIKE HELL!"

Both of the clinic's visitors looked up and dodged just in time for the shouting pale blur to dart past, heading for the back door.

"Get back here, you damn kid! I'm not finished!"

Leorio stormed into of the room after his rogue patient. He was still only half dressed, and his open white shirt was now covered in blood. The two combatants were connected by a string of bandages, unfinished wrapping for the young patient's injured elbow still held tight by the doctor's gloved hand.

"I told you! I'm not taking off the shirt, you deaf asshole!" Without warning, he pulled a Swiss army knife out of his pocket and sliced the unwanted connection, then pointed it at Leorio who stopped dead in his tracks. His tone was dark, deadly, and even though he wasn't yelling, he made his unspoken threat crystal clear. "Don't follow me. You did your job, now leave me alone."

He bolted out the door, slamming it behind him. Kurapika watched in awe, still overcome by the kid's age. He hadn't realized Gon's new friend was the same age as Gon himself. Who would attack a kid? Not only attack but even hunt down afterward... But... Wasn't the kid armed as well?

"Gon, don't-"

Kurapika jerked to the side as Gon barreled past him and followed the mysterious boy into the clinic's back alley. Leorio only shook his head, letting the useless bandage drop to the floor before plopping wearily into the nearest chair.

"I give up. You can't force help on someone who doesn't want it!"

Kurapika took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Then he sat down as well. "Gon will find him, and he won't let him out of his sight until he's satisfied with his recovery," he affirmed. "If either of us followed them, he'd be even less likely to cooperate. That's why Gon left without saying anything."

"No kidding," Leorio chuckled humorlessly, head in his hand.

"But well. Maybe Gon's way with animals can help in a situation like this too."

"Why are you here?"

Kurapika wasn't bothered by the change of subject. He actually understood it. The kid had pointed a knife at them. "Your supplies," was all the blond said as he pointed to the lamp.

"Same key to open the compartment?"

"As always."

"Thanks."

Kurapika nodded, and the two men lapsed into silence for several minutes. The tall brunet hunched over with face hidden, and the smaller blond perched lightly on the sofa on the other side of the lamp. After Leorio had enough time to cool his head, he stood up, and Kurapika silently followed him into the room in which he'd been treating his patient.

"You're worried about more than just his wound," the more serious of the two pushed now that he know Leorio was ready.

"This," the doctor replied while holding up the oversized pin, "is what was lodged in his elbow joint."

Kurapika procured a pair of gloves for himself before accepting the weapon.

"It's definitely a projectile. Someone _threw_ it at him. Someone with professional aim," he continued, leaning against a counter on which still lay a pair of unused scissors and antiseptic. "It was in the perfect position to cause the maximum amount of pain with the minimum amount of damage."

"You think it was the work of one of the local gangs then," Kurapika interpreted. Why else would he ask Kurapika to look at it?

"I'm not sure. Kurapika, that thing was sterile."

Blue-gray eyes widened as they gave the needle a second look. Beneath the boy's blood, it did appear extraordinarily clean.

"The Ants aren't that meticulous. They'd leave their weapons dirty on purpose just for added effect. But I can't think of a single reason that the Spiders would go after a kid like that."

"You're right," Kurapika conceded, closing his eyes and setting the pin back onto its tray. "The Spiders don't have any reason to attack him. It wasn't them."

"A germ-o-phobic Ant?" Leorio mocked.

"It's possible. The Ants have been in a recruiting frenzy for the last few months. They're on the verge of a turf war with an established gang, after all."

"'They're mad with power,' you mean," came the biting retort.

"That too," Kurapika nodded. "I would say... it's likely a third party. A lone professional, not part of an organization."

"You think someone put out a hit on that kid?" Leorio shot to attention, the very thought making his blood boil.

"You tell me," the blond returned knowingly, removing his gloves and folding his arms across his chest. "Why did you want him to take off his shirt?"

The would-be doctor flopped back against the counter at that, sighing. He hadn't been expecting that question. "He moved like something was wrong. He wasn't out of breath from all the running he'd done, but every muscle in his body was tense. I didn't pull that thing out of his arm. He did it before I could give him a shot to numb the area. He didn't even flinch." His fists clenched as he recalled practically dumping the kid into the sink to get the wound clean afterward, just so that he could make sure the kid hadn't crippled himself. "When he rolled up his sleeve, I could see a scar. I know there are more."

"Then he has a history of this. Damn," his companion cursed softly. He raised two fingers to his temple, massaging vainly. "In that case, we can expect Gon to come back alone."

"Just help me clean this up," the older man grumbled. He ran his hand through his hair once more before pushing off of the counter to search for a bottle of cleaner.

Another subject change, Kurapika sighed. There was truly no use worrying when there was nothing they could do now. He might as well help the distraction along with something he'd been meaning to tell Leorio anyway. While wetting a wash cloth, he approached the subject the best way he could think to: bluntly. "There's an opening for a nurse at Yorkshin High."

"I am not a nurse."

"No, but you are broke."

"Go clean the bathroom!"

Kurapika caught the bottle of cleaner that had been chucked at his face and silently made his way to the clinic's restroom.

* * *

><p>"Ha! Caught you!"<p>

They were the last words Killua heard before his pursuer body slammed him into the sidewalk.

"Wh-What the hell, man? I told you not to follow me!" he growled into the cement, but Gon refused to move from his spot atop his prey.

"I didn't feel like listening."

The boy on the ground was too infuriated for words. He promptly responded by crashing the back of his head into Gon's unsuspecting nose.

"'Ey! Whab wassat for?"

"I didn't feel like listening!"

And miracle of miracles, that crazy kid laughed. What the hell was wrong with these people?

Gon continued chuckling even as he poked and prodded at his tender nose. Not broken, but it still hurt. It didn't escape the young predator's notice that his target's knife was once again concealed. Headbutts weren't nearly as persuasive as blades. His grin broadened. In other words, he'd caught himself a good one.

"I'll get up if you promise to let me finish wrapping your elbow."

Gritting his teeth, Killua quickly realized that if he didn't want to be running from yet another asylum candidate all night long, he was going to have to lose this guy for good. He took a deep, steadying breath, wrapped one leg around one of Gon's, and twisted his body as sharply as he could. Gon yelped as his hooked leg twisted along with his prey. Hastily he rolled off of the other boy before his knee could be forced to bend the wrong way, and his elusive prey pushed himself back to his feet.

Damn. Gon had untangled himself in time to save his leg. That meant he was probably going to keep up the chase. Killua didn't have time to worry about that though. Who knew where that bastard was lurking by now? He could be watching them wrestle at that very moment. He had to get to a place where he could see his surroundings but no one could see him.

Without a second thought, Killua left his pursuer behind for a running leap at the fire escape ladder on the other side of the street. The metal was cold to the touch, but he paid it no mind, landing like a cat and rushing up rung by rung. He had no doubt the other boy would follow, but he didn't look back to check his progress. He just had to jump to the next roof after getting to the top. There was no way the other boy could follow him that way. He just had to-

He froze.

Only two rungs from the top, a hand had snaked around his wounded arm. He couldn't climb with only one hand.

"Dammit, _why?_" he hissed through gritted teeth without looking down at his pursuer.

"You said no hospitals, and I agreed. That means you're my responsibility, right?" Gon replied easily.

"Where'd you even learn to track people like that? Were you raised by wolves or something?"

"Nope," he answered, still sickly sweet. "But I spent a lot of time with all the animals on the island back home. I watched how they did it."

"Fine, fine. I promise!" Killua grudgingly conceded his defeat. He wanted nothing more than to kick the idiot, but the momentary satisfaction wouldn't be worth losing his arm. "Just let go so I can get onto the ledge already."

The two boys finished their climb, and the uncooperative patient kept his promise, much to Gon's obvious delight. He got to work on the loosened bandage straight away while his charge sat listlessly staring out at the cloud covered sky. Or rather, Gon realized after a moment, the point where the sky met the surrounding roof tops. He was still worried about the person who had been chasing him before.

"Oh!"

"What?" his charge grumbled, pressing his free hand to his ringing ear.

"That's why you don't want help! You're worried we'll get hurt!"

The boy laughed when Killua sputtered uncontrollably at the accusation. "Th-That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard! What are you even talking about?" He reached for Gon's head with his uninjured arm, administering a noogie while the boy squirmed. "Who the hell would be worried about you idiots, heeeeh? You can all die for all I care! Then I wouldn't have to hear you say all these stupid things!"

"St-Stoooop!" Gon protested as he struggled, being sure not to upset the injured arm further. "It's the truth, isn't it? Oh!"

Without warning, the brown-eyed boy shot out of Killua's grip, startling him enough to actually listen.

"I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Gon Freecss! That's my apartment building right over there!" he pointed enthusiastically toward a small, two story building with about four apartments on each level. It was a dingy looking place in a poor neighborhood, but Gon seemed excited about it anyway. "What about you?"

He didn't answer immediately, rather taking another moment to survey Gon's apartment complex. "Killua. I'm... not from around here."

"That much was obvious. I've never seen you before," Gon chuckled. He held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Killua!"

Killua stared at the outstretched hand awkwardly before mumbling, "I don't have anything to give you."

The other boy was completely lost for a few moments before he caught on. "No! It's for a handshake! C'mon, hold out your hand the same way," he insisted, nodding enthusiastically as Killua did so. He grabbed Killua's hand with his own and offered an over-exaggerated shake. "Now say, 'Nice to meet you too!'"

"It hasn't been nice at all!"

"Just say it!"

"Nice to meet you too, stuuuuuuupid!"

"Hey! I'll have you know I'm in advanced classes at Yorkshin High!" Gon proclaimed, bringing a hand to his chest to illustrate his grandeur.

"For what, PE?"

And on it went. The two strangers talked as if possessed, forgetting all about the reason they were on that roof in the first place.

"Was that bear really your pet?"

"No, I wish! I'm only watching him until they can set up a place for him in a national park."

"Ew, your favorite color's green? Like puke?"

"Says the guy who likes such a girly color."

"There isn't even a school on the island where you live? What a cheap place!"

"Haha. Hearing that from you somehow makes me really mad."

By the end of it, Killua had even stopped bothering with trying to rationalize his behavior. This was what he had run away for, wasn't it? He just hadn't realized it until that persistent idiot had taken his hand. His hand. A complete stranger had smiled at him and offered his hand and chased him halfway across the city just because he'd been too stupid to take him to a hospital. He'd held a knife to three people and told them to stay away, and still Gon shook hands with him. Right then, as they talked, it didn't feel like they could be overcome by that bastard at any moment, he didn't feel like an outsider, everything seemed so _normal_. Which, in Killua's case, was about as abnormal as things could get. If Killua had had a choice, he decided firmly, this would have been it. Just wasting the night away talking about things that didn't matter. It was... fun.

But even if it felt like everything was normal for once, that didn't mean it was, and Killua was keenly aware of that fact. Just because he was enjoying himself didn't mean he wasn't still alert, scanning the horizon for the first sign of trouble, straining his ears for that bastard's voice. He knew that he was putting Gon in danger every minute they kept chatting. Gon knew it too. Why he hadn't yet called it quits was an unfathomable mystery to Killua. Was it the obligation he'd voiced earlier, the fact that he viewed Killua as his responsibility? Did he have some scheme hidden up his sleeve, waiting for the perfect moment to call his friends and capture the demon chitchatting with him? Gon didn't give away the answer until the sun began peeking over the hazy cityscape.

With an overpowering yawn, the contented boy flopped onto his back, and Killua raised a skeptical brow when his companion began giggling.

"What?"

"I just feel better, is all," Gon managed between giggles.

"Funny, I thought for sure you were getting worse and worse."

Before he saw it coming, a the collar of his shirt was yanked down, and he was forced to join Gon on his back.

"I'm just happy!" the perpetrator defended himself with a pout, though when Killua turned to him, it morphed back into that excited grin. "I was worried you might be hurt worse than I thought or that you didn't like me. But you've been talking to me just like you were talking to Leorio."

"I don't like Leorio," Killua affirmed dryly.

Once again, Gon just laughed. "But you had fun, right? Me too. Even when we were running away. It was like a chase scene out of a movie!" Gon illustrated with his hands, spreading them out and waving them back and forth above them. He always seemed to be talking with his hands, like he had so much pent up energy that he just had to release it constantly. It was kind of funny, and it also made it really easy to make fun of him.

"It is _not_ fun to watch you flail all over the place like some car lot balloon mascot!"

Unfortunately, this seemed to encourage the other boy, and Gon only flailed harder as the two boys' conversation devolved into a childish slap fight. How Killua managed to keep up with only one arm, Gon wasn't sure, but it didn't deter him in the least. In no time at all, they were back on the ground, breathing heavily but chuckling all the same.

"Killua."

"Yeah?" he asked after taking a moment to catch his breath.

"Wanna stay at my house?"

Time froze around them.

"Gon."

"I-I mean, only if you want to. I just figured you could probably use some rest."

"Gon."

"And I wanted to show you my dogs and birds."

"Gon."

"And I definitely won't let that person find you agai-"

Killua shoved his hand over Gon's mouth, and Gon's eyes widened when he realized it was Killua's injured arm. He shouldn't have been moving it like that. What if-

"Gon. It _was _fun, okay? Thanks."

The look in those chocolate eyes told him that Gon knew exactly what Killua was going to do, but he didn't struggle, didn't protest. Gritting his teeth, Killua bunched his free hand into a fist and slammed it as hard as he could into his companion's gut. Gon coughed into his hand before dropping. Killua caught him just as the familiar voice wafted through the heavy morning air.

* * *

><p>When Killua finally stepped out into the open, he was alone. That annoying bastard watched silently, expressionlessly, as he marched down the otherwise empty alleyway and stopped short not three meters from his biggest problem.<p>

"I'm willing to come back quietly," he announced. His voice was stark and serious, as stiff as his posture and as wary as his senses.

The flash of sunlight reflecting off of the large metal pin in between the man's long fingers did not escape his notice, but he did his best not to let it distract him, keeping his gaze locked on those accusing, cat-like eyes.

"On one condition," he continued just when the man moved to take a step forward, and those eyes widened the slightest fraction under his scrutiny. "Enroll me at Yorkshin High School before we go. After that, you can do whatever you want. Illumi."

Silence followed for several agonizing seconds before: "Mother won't approve."

"Why do you think I wanna do it?"

Illumi considered this answer very seriously for some time. Then he turned, beckoning his little brother to follow him.

"I don't see why not as long as you're willing to accept your punishment."

"Yeah, yeah. I get it. Be a good boy, get your doggy treat," Killua mumbled under his breath, jogging to catch up to his now placated brother. He'd have to think of some way to explain his treated elbow later, but for now it seemed that he'd reached safe ground.

He didn't look back. Illumi might have asked him why if he had.


	2. Peanut Butter and Jelly

"_You are the thunder and I am the lightning_

_I love the way you know who you are_

_And to me it's exciting"_

_Naturally, Selena Gomez_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter Two<strong>

Peanut Butter and Jelly

* * *

><p>"And when I woke up, I was the only one there," sighed the tired student from his slumped position over his desk. His head ached, and the cool wood did wonders for his swollen cheek. "There weren't any signs of a struggle, but there weren't any signs of anything else either."<p>

"So that's why I caught you on my roof this morning?" questioned the girl next to him.

He nodded lazily. He would have chosen different words to describe what had happened though. Something like 'attacked you' or 'accosted you.' Yeah, those sounded right. "Mmhm, sorry. I've been going up there every day in case he comes back, but he hasn't yet."

It had been three weeks since the day he tamed his stray. Three slow, frustrating weeks. A lot had happened in that time: returning to Leorio's clinic, taking care of Kon, letting him go, and getting ready for school. Even so, he'd never gotten that night out of his head, and it drove him crazy. Gon Freecss was an extremely gifted boy with numerous talents, skills, and virtues, but patience had never been one of them. Apparently, he also did not fare well with being woken at 5:00AM by an umbrella to his face. The things one could learn.

"Oooh, is that all?" the girl huffed haughtily, crossing her legs on Gon's desk and subsequently pushing him right off. "And here you had me all worked up over nothing! I thought I had rats, you know! Big, horrid rats crawling all over my apartment roof!" Her pony tail bounced as she illustrated just how large she thought these rats were, another stab to her companion's ego. Killua had been so quiet...

If Gon didn't know any better, he would have sworn she was mocking him on purpose.

"You should've known I wasn't a rat when you saw me!" he protested. His brows ticked in frustration as he forced her shoes off of his desk.

After a moment, she obliged, and Gon caught the satisfied smirk she tried to hide behind a gloved hand. As he glared, she dusted off the skirt of her school uniform. "Of course I knew. That was why I hit you. What kind of girl would I be, running around whacking rats with an umbrella?"

The talented, skilled, and virtuous Gon promptly gave up, allowing the girl a first class view of his impending faceplant. Confident in her victory and deciding that she had punished her cute, little apprentice enough for the morning, she leaned excitedly forward and got down to the important business.

"Soooo?" she grinned wickedly. "Did you two kiss each other goodbye?"

Gon's head shot back up, beet red and blustering. "What're you-?"

"Oh, come on! You don't need to hide it from me!" She gestured wildly before ending with a grand slap over her heart. "I am Biscuit Krueger, and I can spot a quality BL moment from a mile a-!"

Gon hastily wrapped his hand around her mouth, shushing her loudly. Other people were starting to stare, and that was too weird of a subject to be talking about right before class!

"It was nothing like that! There were no moments!"

Rather than stem the attention they were getting, however, he only succeeded in garnering more.

"Don't give me that," she scolded after having removed Gon's hand. "You've come back to the same spot every day for three weeks waiting for him. You even fell asleep up there last night. You're _pining! _It's not embarrassing, it's romantic!"

He stuck his nose in the air as she cooed and fawned. "I told you it wasn't like that. I took him to Leorio's like all the other stray cats I've found, but he ran off again. I just want to make sure he didn't get run over or wind up in another fight."

"...Like a cat."

"Yeah! He was quiet and fast and flexible like one, and he kind of looked like one too." Gon held his hands up in his hair and wiggled them like cat ears to emphasize his point.

"Really?" Biscuit cocked her head in interest and dropped her chin into her palm as she contemplated this new development. "What kind of animal am I?"

Gon didn't hesitate, grinning proudly as he gave his answer. "An anglerfish!"

She had him in a headlock before anyone could even laugh. "You horrible, little-! Unforgivable! It is unforgivable to talk to an innocent girl like that! I oughtta-!"

A resounding cough immediately drew all eyes to the front of the room where their homeroom teacher was now standing, fist over his mouth. His primly curled mustache twitched in light of the man's sudden popularity, but his dry expression remained unchanged. Even though he didn't raise his voice, no one missed a word.

"If you're quite done, Ms. Krueger?"

Biscuit threw in one last noogie before letting go and readjusting her uniform. "Aw, Satotz. You never let me have my fun."

"You're welcome to have all the fun you'd like in your own classroom with your own students."

"But I like _your_ students!" she chimed as she skipped up to the front of the classroom with her fellow staff member. "You always have the best eye. You grab all the good ones before I can."

"That likely has more to do with your tendency toward being late, Ms. Krueger. As you are now."

She patted his shoulder, stiff as it ever was, before waving goodbye and heading out. "I know, I know. Students need their daily dose of discipline~"

"I'd also advise you not to wear that outfit at the staff meeting during lunch."

Biscuit stopped short, turning back around with watery eyes. Her pony tail and pleated skirt rustled with the movement, and she looked exactly the part of a heartbroken high school girl in a television drama. "What's wrong with it? It fits all of the school's regulations, and it's so cute! The perfect sailor fuku!"

"Our school has no uniform."

"So? I'm not a student."

Another mustache twitch. "Your class, Ms. Krueger."

"Ta ta!" she waved before shutting the door behind her with a bow.

Hee! She couldn't hold in the smile that enveloped her lips as she heard Satotz begin speaking through the door, something about a late student. She wasn't kidding when she teased him about his eye for students, even if none of them had any actual say about who ended up in their respective classes. Gon Freecss was quite a gem, and when Satotz had mentioned him to her after orientation, she'd known right away that he was made of different stuff than everyone else. Finding him on her roof had been a marvelous opportunity, and she'd taken it without a second thought.

Yes, children, sometimes violence was indeed the answer. And boy, was it a satisfying one. A whack to the head had done nothing to keep him from escorting her to school and telling her the whole story. And what a story it was! From the mysterious boy being chased by mysterious forces to the man who ran the free clinic to the cute antique store owner with one eye locked on the local gang activity. Gon Freecss was a veritable networking genius, and he didn't even know it.

Most people in Yorkshin had long since realized that the less one knew about one's neighbors, the safer one was. People like Gon, who went around speaking to everyone as if they were pals, were a rare breed, and most of them proved to be shady as hell once the curtains closed. This crazy kid was as sincere as a puppy and wasn't the least bit thrown off by Biscuit's obnoxious actions. Either he was already aware that she had no ulterior motives or the idea of ulterior motives had never even crossed his mind. The former was infinitely more interesting than the latter.

Now, all Biscuit wanted to find out was whether Gon truly understood what type of person he was chasing. A boy who had that sort of endurance, that immeasurable pain tolerance, who wasn't afraid to threaten others with a knife... From what little information she had, she could deduce he was likely a gang member. The situation, however, led her to believe he'd betrayed or quit his gang. From the story Gon had told, he obviously didn't want anyone else involved in his problems, so having quit was the more plausible of the two above options. No normal person would relax long enough to have such a carefree conversation in the midst of being pursued. Either the boy sensed an inherent kinship or he had desperately needed the comfort. It could very well have been both. If her assumptions were correct, then Gon had done everything right, even to the point of letting the boy leave alone. One wrong word, one further attempt to convince the mysterious boy to stay, could have resulted in him losing all interest. But if Gon himself didn't realize how well he'd traversed that fine line, Biscuit Krueger wanted nothing to do with him.

The problem in all of this was that she couldn't very well just ask Gon. The best way to discern how much Gon understood would be to reunite the kids. A boy like that would have long since learned to never return to the scene of the crime though. Gon wasn't going to find him like that. He would turn up on his own time, in a way that was more discreet and socially acceptable so that he could be in control of what happened.

But that wasn't fair! That wasn't fair at all! She didn't want to wait for someone else. _She_ wanted to be in control of the situation!

And then something slammed into her shoulder.

"Oh, sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going," she quickly apologized. Damn, had she nearly just plowed over a student?

"S'cool. I wasn't really paying attention either."

He still wasn't, the woman noted with a quirk of her lips. The kid was casual to the point of sloth, hands in his pockets and gaze coasting the wall to his left, even though Biscuit was on his right. He was lost, she realized, and looking for room numbers.

"Which room?"

That seemed to snap him out of his lethargic daze, and he finally turned to look at her. He had blue eyes, almost violet under the shade of his shaggy, bleached bangs, and his shirt proclaimed that it was in fact wearing him, at least in Soviet Russia. "Oh, room 254. That means second floor, right?"

"Yup! Actually, it's just around the corner, that way," she pointed back the way she had come. "Satotz is your homeroom teacher, hm? You'll like him. He doesn't care if students fall asleep in class as long as they turn in the assignments."

"Really?" He seemed rather surprised by this information, and she smirked.

"Really really. He offers extra credit assignments every month too, but never let him catch you chewing gum in class."

"I never let anyone catch me," was the smug reply before he offered her a salute.

She followed suit, and the two went on their merry ways. Until Biscuit came to a shuddering halt.

White hair. Blue eyes. Smug attitude. About fourteen years of age.

Slowly, she tiptoed backward, and just when she made it within a meter of Satotz's door, she heard a resounding "Killua!" echo forth into the hallway. With that, she bolted, smiling like she hadn't smiled for months.

Students! She'd found real students again! She had to make them hers!

* * *

><p>Killua mentally cursed as he rounded the corner and left that weird ass chick behind. She seemed fine when she was talking, he guessed, but he didn't want anything to do with that cosplay thing she had going. Not only that, but she'd caught him off guard. How could that have happened? He hadn't run into anyone for years. How did he not sense her presence?<p>

He would just have to keep an eye out for her. There wasn't much he could do on school grounds, and he sure as hell wasn't about to follow her anywhere else. What he should be focusing on now was Gon.

Gon went to school here. In fact, he was right on the other side of this door. Killua had pulled out all the stops. As long as he was allowed to do this, he wasn't going to do it halfway. This was a game in which the stakes were all or nothing, but there was no sense in getting nervous before he even got to play.

With a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

It was answered by a man whom he could only assume was Satotz. Really, knowing his name, Killua suddenly felt that no other name could have described him. He raised an arm to show the new student he was allowed to enter, and Killua did so.

"Killua!"

The boy's eyes widened, and he whirled around to find none other than Gon Freecss standing at his desk with a wide open smile that would have better fit a whale. The boy at the front of the classroom tried to act like it didn't concern him, but he failed miserably, unable to halt the warm grin that overtook his lips. Gon remembered his name.

"Ahem," Satotz coughed. Gon hastily sat back down. "This is the student I was speaking of earlier. He was not allowed to attend the first few days of school due to registration issues, but those have now been cleared. Class, please welcome Killua Zoldyck."

This revelation was followed first by dead silence, then a flurry of whispers. Killua didn't mind; he'd been expecting it. He wasn't even surprised that Gon didn't get it. What he wasn't expecting was for the teacher to remain impassive. He only gestured toward the last empty seat near the back of the room.

Killua ignored it, walking pointedly to the desk next to Gon's. The guy sitting there was an obvious delinquent, dark hair styled and greased in typical, clichéd fashion. Well, typical fashion for a decade or two ago, maybe. He was tall, muscular, and his face seemed to have been run over one too many times, landing him with a perpetually angry expression.

"This is my seat," Killua calmly informed him.

The delinquent looked up at him, then to the empty desk. "Whatever," he croaked, gathering his things and moving to the back without any fuss.

This only drew more stares and louder whispers, as if the entire population of the classroom was daring him to look their way and prove their speculations correct, but he continued to ignore them with ease. His attention was solely on Gon, who was vibrating in excitement.

"After school, 'kay?" he reassured the other boy. Gon seemed disappointed but nodded and tried to calm himself when Satotz began the morning's lesson.

After school. He could explain then. When they weren't surrounded by prying eyes and ears. When they weren't bound by suffocating desks and walls and rules.

When _he_ calmed down enough to do it properly.

* * *

><p>Killua slid down the railing with carefully calculated reckless abandon. Hands were forced to jerk out of harm's way, their hasty movements accompanied by a harmony of startled gasps. Once he finished his perilous plunge from second to ground floor, he took off running, looking back just long enough to catch Gon leaping over a rolling backpack at the base of the stairway.<p>

With a last ditch explosion of effort, he bulleted through the entrance, around decorative foliage, and right into the front gate. When he felt more than heard a second body slam into the gate next to him, he smirked at his huffing companion.

"I win."

Then Gon smirked back. "First one to the park!" he shouted before taking off yet again, through the open gate and out into the parking lot.

"I don't know where the park is!" Killua countered in frustration.

None-the-less, he chased after Gon, keeping pace with him until the open grassy area came into view. Another rocket boost in speed earned him his second victory. When Gon opened his mouth to complain, however, Yorkshin High School's newest student slapped the boy upside the head. "If I let you announce another race, we'll spend the rest of the day doing nothing but running!"

"What's wrong with that?" Gon asked with a grin. His boundless energy was obvious, his excitement barely containable. He probably could have run the rest of the day and still had more in him.

Killua, however, was the opposite. All the fretting he'd done while waiting until the school day ended had worn him down significantly. "What's wrong is that I don't wanna do it!"

"No faaair! Just to the slide, come on!"

"Just to the slide?"

"Just to the slide."

"Fine. On your mark..."

"Get set..."

"Go!"

And Killua watched from his spot, smirking wickedly as Gon ran off. After a few seconds, he began a casual stroll over the hill that separated them from the small playground. Gon was standing in front of the slide, pouting back at him.

"You win," Killua smugly proclaimed to a dissatisfied snort.

He hopped up onto the metal slide with ease and hiked his way to the top before settling comfortably across it, hands behind his head supported by one railing and knees crossed over the other. His new found friend was no less sulky, but he joined Killua by climbing the ladder and nestling himself on the top step.

The two boys were quiet for a few minutes as Gon got over his undeserved win (that didn't even count as a "win," he'd have to ask Killua for a do-over sometime when he was more interested), but it wasn't long before he came to realize exactly why Killua didn't want to keep racing. After school, he remembered. That was what Killua had told him. The way the other boy threw over himself a hastily made cloak of nonchalance, pretending to be bored even as his vision occasionally darted toward Gon and then back up to the sky and his crossed legs traded spots with undue frequency, was a show of anxiety. It had been the same when they had been talking on the roof, when Killua kept looking out at the horizon even though nothing was there.

Suddenly it made sense, and Gon found himself smiling at a very confused Killua.

"...What?"

"You're not a cat at all," Gon concluded through a toothy grin. "You're a mouse."

Killua didn't wait for further explanation before kicking him right off the slide.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow! Killua!"

"What the hell was that, huh? I'm a human, a human!" the light haired boy interrupted without remorse. The smallest spark of something more, something dangerous, flashed for an instant across his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. "Besides, even if I wasn't, I'd be something cool like a panther or a wolf."

"You're fast and quiet like a mouse, only seen in a person's peripheral vision for a moment before darting out of sight. You're small, but you can get around high places like you were born there. And you're always looking everywhere, making sure the coast is clear and keeping track of the exits, even at school," Gon insisted, meeting Killua's gaze from the ground. Just as Killua was about to jump down, however, Gon's next sentence transfixed him in place. "That definitely wasn't the first time you were chased by those guys."

Killua pulled back and sat down, and Gon thought it rather looked as if his limbs had been weighed down by rocks. "Well, mostly. That's the first time it ever happened seriously. I've trained with them though."

"Trained?" That was an odd word choice. Sports training? Career training?

"In the family business."

Gon's chapped lips formed a hard, thin line. "Then the person who did that to your arm..."

"Oh, yeah. That was my older brother." Killua smiled as he said it, though it wasn't a happy smile. It was smug and defiant, as if he was spiting his brother just by admitting it. "Sucks, huh?"

When his friend didn't reply, Killua did finally join him on the ground. He rolled up his sleeve to reveal his elbow. There was a small, circular scar on either side of the joint where the needle had penetrated, but it was healing nicely. "Look, it's fine. See? No need to worry," he shoved the arm in front of Gon, knocking it against his forehead so the other boy couldn't avoid it. "So wipe that stupid look off your face."

Somehow that didn't help, and Killua noted that Gon's strained frown only tightened. He opened his mouth to ask, but before he could say anything, Gon's own hands shot out to grab the sleeve of Killua's other arm. He didn't stop Gon from rolling the sleeve up to reveal an identical scar in the same spot. Only afterward did he pull away, chuckling weakly as he clasped his hand over the second scar.

He couldn't look Gon in the eye. "Did I hold out the wrong arm, was that it? I couldn't remember which it was at first, but I was sure I'd gotten it right in the end..."

"No," Gon affirmed off with a shake of his head, equally as unsure of his position. He didn't reach for Killua again, instead wrapping his arms behind his back. "It was the right arm, but the scar was too big."

"The scar was...? Seriously? _That's_ how you-"

"Your knees too?"

Killua hesitated a moment, then nodded.

And yet he'd still been running as much as he had. Had that also contributed to his not wanting to race? It bothered Gon that he hadn't noticed something like that sooner, even though Killua seemed surprised that he'd noticed at all. It wasn't enough. Definitely wasn't enough when it came to something like this. Gon would have to change that in the future.

This was only their second day of hanging out. He had a lot to learn.

"Will it happen again?"

Killua was taken aback by that. No "What sort of crazy family does that?" or "What insane kind of training is that?" Just "Will it happen again?"

"Nope," he assured. "This way, I don't have to run away again. I've got permission to go to school and hang out afterward until they need me."

"Okay!" Gon nodded stiffly before approaching Killua again. "Then you have to make it up to me now!"

For several seconds, Killua Zoldyck could not comprehend what Gon could possibly mean. Several seconds later, he still didn't have a clue. "Make _what_ up to you?" he puffed.

"I helped you, and then you ruined it! It's not fair!"

The tension scattered like children from a plate of vegetables, and Killua erupted in giggles. "That's- You- Really-" The undecipherable attempt to communicate only made him laugh harder, leaving Gon rather confused as to how, exactly, he should feel about the whole mess. Finally, Killua wiped the tears from his eyes and breathed deeply enough to speak. "I have an idea."

He waved for Gon to follow him, still chuckling, and the two boys left the park, pushing each other back and forth the whole way.

* * *

><p>"Kurapika, it's for you."<p>

The melodious voice pulled the blond from his intense focus, and he turned to the open door. A young woman, disfigured but glowing, stood in the way of the light from the other room. One hand clasped the phone in an attempt to muffle anything said between the two of them.

"It's the doctor."

Kurapika nodded and stood, accepting the phone with a quiet thank you so that Senritsu could leave the office and return to manning their shop.

"Hello?"

"Yo," returned Leorio's familiar baritone. Something about his voice struck Kurapika as odd, however. Even though it was familiar, it was definitely distracted.

"Did something happen?"

"You mean besides the fact that I took a lousy job on your lousy reccomendation?" the man snorted.

Kurapika rolled his eyes as he picked up the book he'd been reading and settled against the wall. It was always easier to speak to Leorio when he was on his feet, easier to think as well. "Yes, actually."

Silence followed, the shuffling of papers, then: "You don't have to keep looking for that kid."

He nearly dropped his book. "You found him?"

"Not exactly," the other man sighed. The sound of crumpling paper again. "It's more like he found Gon."

Kurapika contemplated this for a moment. "Are you still... at the school?"

"Yeah," the doctor confirmed. "They want me staying for club activities. But I'm also preparing for a physical that's scheduled for tomorrow morning. Actually, that's not a bad segue."

"What do you mean-"

"Kid who's been homeschooled his whole life is being transferred into the system. Official records claim his name's Killua Zoldyck."

This time Kurapika did drop his book. He didn't bother picking it up, instead moving back to the table to snag a pad and a pen. "You said Zoldyck?"

"That's the one. Older brother helped with filling out paperwork. Creepy guy. None of the staff were willing to say anything against him. Obviously from a rich family, an old one too, with influence. Any idea why a kid from a family like that would be running from a hit?"

"Leorio." The frustrated blond massaged his forehead once he'd managed to shut the older man up long enough to get a word in. "The Zoldycks are widely renowned as an organization of hit men."

The papers on the other end of the phone line ceased their shuffling.

"Gon's stray... is an assassin."

"Or simply taking the name of one," Kurapika corrected stiffly.

"The only reason he'd do something like that would be to get their attention," the dumbfounded man trailed. "But his papers were legit enough for the school to accept them..."

"His intimidating brother and the name itself may well have been sufficient distractions from any signs of forgery."

"So... he's not an assassin."

"He could be."

"Well, which is it?"

"Leorio, I'm only listing possibilities," the blond interjected before any tables could be flipped. "If you must know, why not ask him tomorrow morning?"

"Ah..."

The response made it clear to Kurapika that Leorio hadn't even thought of that possibility. Well, it wasn't surprising. People in their situations rarely came to conclusions like that because they had secrets they had to hide. Huge, debilitating secrets. They assumed that others would want to keep their own secrets as much as they needed to keep theirs.

"He registered for _public_ school under the name _Zoldyck_. If that isn't a declaration of intent, nothing is," Kurapika explained, his pen flying across the pad of paper. Notations on their conversation were quickly scrawled in small, curvy print. "Those aren't the actions of someone trying to stay under the radar. If you ask, he'll probably answer. You can decide whether you believe him from there."

"Kurapika..."

"Mm?"

"Exactly how renowned are we talking about here?"

That was a tricky question. There was no concrete scale used to measure infamy.

"They have been accused of over five hundred murders in the last twenty years, yet no one has ever built up a strong enough case to send even one of them to court. A single picture of one Zoldyck with proof of authenticity would be worth enough to decently sustain you through age seventy."

It was another few seconds before Kurapika heard breathing again.

"This is going to be one hell of a rich high school."

"Leorio, they can't-"

"I know, I know," the doctor waved him off as he finally went back to his preparations in the school's infirmary. "Just trying to make a point. Why the hell would the kid put himself at risk like that? Well, whatever."

Kurapika frowned on his end when Leorio hastily cut off the approaching conversation before he could answer. "You aren't thinking of...?"

"This line still as secure as always?"

"Of course."

"Think I'll be grabbing a few supplies for the clinic then. Save you the hassle," Leorio intoned dryly. "I'll keep you updated on that ancient pottery fiasco too. I might be able to snag a few pieces cheap while they're hot, then hand them over to you once they've cooled down. See ya."

With a click, Kurapika was left sighing into the silence. He set the phone down and eyed the notes he'd taken before setting them down as well.

That investigation would have to wait until his current one was complete. Fortunately for Killua Zoldyck, a Spider sighting two blocks away was an infinitely more pressing matter than some new kid in town with a death wish.

* * *

><p>"Here it is!"<p>

Gon looked up. He didn't get it.

Killua only shook his head. He grabbed Gon's hand and dragged him the last few steps.

The two boys were now standing in front of a construction zone blocked off from the public by a criss-crossed wire fence. The old building had been condemned some time ago: an extravagant hotel in its day, now nothing more than a patch job gone bad. Five stories of rooms put to shame by the merciless whims of time. Supposedly they were going to build a new hotel in its place, one that wasn't a ridiculous fire hazard, but demolishing the old building had been put on hold when financial issues arose. If Gon remembered correctly, those issues had recently been solved, and the demolishing would take place next week. He passed by workers every day on his way to school, watching them set up framework around the exterior.

He looked on silently as one of those workers surveyed the front of the building before meandering to the side. The moment the man was out of sight, Killua began climbing the fence.

"H-Hey-"

"Sh!"

The light haired boy raised a finger to his mouth and promptly dropped to the ground on the other side. He motioned to the opposite side of the building with his head and sneaked off. Gon took one last look around before hastily catching up.

"Killuaaa, we're gonna get in trouble," he whispered into the boy's ear, but Killua wasn't having any of it.

"Only if you get us caught. You can outrun a lazy, fat construction worker, can't you?" he quietly hissed in return, ducking around the metal framework.

"Monta's not lazy!" Gon huffed. "He has a glandular problem!"

"...You know his name?"

Gon shrugged, and Killua was forced to just accept that the crazy guy knew everybody in the whole damn city, names and health problems alike.

With a shake of his head, Killua led Gon through a window, and the two boys followed the wall to a dumbwaiter. He crawled in and grinned, patting the bottom of the dumbwaiter next to him. "There's room for two." While Gon squeezed in, Killua reached out to tinker with the control pad. In seconds, they were heading down.

"I had to hide out here for a little while about two months ago. I figured I'd just hole up in the dumbwaiter until the coast was clear, but..."

Killua didn't need to elaborate. He only opened the door and revealed their destination. Untouched by the construction was a basement floor. A doorway on the other end of the room made way for stairs, but the door at the top was boarded up. Other than that, the room was virtually empty. Dusty shelves and wine racks lined the walls. One could find where furniture used to sit by watching for rectangles on the floor where the layers of gray were thin enough to actually see the wood's color below. A mouse hole was visible in the far corner of the room, but despite neglect, the wood itself seemed sturdy and free of damage.

"So?" Killua smiled, stretching his arms behind his head. "Is the secret base a sufficient apology, captain?"

"But isn't this place...?"

Killua could tell how difficult it was for Gon to stay in one spot. He wanted to shoot off like a bullet, ricocheting off of every surface, but instead he forced himself to remain still and quiet. He didn't want to get too excited over something that might not be there in a week. That only added to Killua's smugness. He was so awesome; this really was the perfect choice.

"They're not bothering with the basement. The dumbwaiter's going with the rest of the old hotel, but the new one they're building in its place is just going to be unattached. Those stairs? Lead up to a separate building that's being used as storage. They're not demolishing that secondary building, so there's no point in demolishing the basement."

"So..." Gon trailed off, eyes gradually widening in realization. "So nobody's ever going to come down here!"

"Bingo!"

The bullet shot off.

"Killua, this is so cool! We could put all sorts of stuff in here and hold secret meetings and hide animals and and- Killua! We'll never lose at hide and seek again!"

The pale haired boy watched in self-satisfied glee as Gon bounced around going on about what they could put where and how they would get it in, what it would be like while construction was happening and afterward, how to avoid being caught. He didn't even seem to stop for air, babbling a million miles a minute and enjoying every bit of it.

Yeah, it was "sufficient."

It had been floating around the back of his mind for a while. The idea that he could keep this place to himself, finally have one small section of the world in which he could be alone, away from prying eyes and judging glances. But when Gon had said that... When Gon had reacted as ridiculously as that, somehow this place was the first thing that had popped into his head. He had actually _wanted_ to make it up to the other boy.

Those lame punishments were something he'd accepted as necessary. If you want something, you pay for it. If he wanted to run off, he'd have to pay up afterward. And yet when Gon outrightly demanded something of him, he didn't feel like he was paying anything at all. It felt the same as that night on the roof, except even better. This time he'd initiated it. All this excitement was _his_ doing.

He'd killed people. He'd beaten down professional men three times his age and size. He was faster than Olympic runners, stronger than heavy lifters, and better educated than college graduates. Never before had he felt such accomplishment as he felt right then.

"Hey, Kiiiiiilluaaaa~?" Gon waved his hand back and forth in front of him. "Were you listening?"

"Yeah, sure," he waved the other boy off.

"Then what do you wanna bring in here? I've been saying all sorts of things, and you've just been quiet. It has to be able to fit through the door, but... it's not _our_ secret base if only my stuff is here!"

Killua frowned momentarily. "Yeah?"

"Yeah! And I'm the captain, so what I say goes!" Gon commanded, sticking his tongue out as he did so.

Just like that, Killua's frown was replaced with a smirk. "Then I want some wine to fill up those racks."

"But we're underaged."

"We're also trespassing."

Gon took a moment to think about this.

"I guess one or two bottles wouldn't be so bad..."

That's the spirit!" Killua cackled, pouncing his friend armed with a noogie.

That was when Killua's cellphone began ringing. The two boys paused awkwardly, unsure of what to do, but finally Killua let go and picked up.

"Yeah." Silence. "Yeah." Silence. "Fine."

Without another word, he hung up, turning a hesitant bite of his lips toward Gon. "I... have to go."

Gon was obviously disappointed, that endless energy suddenly at its end. His shoulders slouched as he frowned deeply. They'd been having so much fun just a second ago... But then a thought hit him, and he looked back up to Killua, hope settled like little stars in his big brown eyes.

"See you tomorrow?"

Killua tossed the phone in the air and caught it with a small smile. "Of course. I can't skip school on my first week, right?"

"We can figure out how to fix everything up at school this week and then come in on the weekend!" Gon exalted.

"Awesome."

A thumbs up sealed the deal, but Gon quickly rammed his own thumb up against Killua's before he could pull his hand away.

"It's a promise."

With that, the two boys parted ways, waving goodbye at the end of the block before scuttling off into the early evening.

The moment Gon was out of sight, however, Killua's cheeky grin vanished.

"You didn't tell him what we do."

The voice was calm and quiet, voiced from the shadows. Killua turned in that direction anyway, to indicate to the person speaking that he knew exactly where they were hiding.

"You couldn't hear what we were saying inside."

"But I know you didn't tell him."

Killua just shook his head with a snort and shoved his hands in his pockets. "No. He didn't ask. You just don't understand the difference."

Silence for another moment, then a small child came forth from behind a light pole. The child was dressed darkly to match the oncoming night, black hair reaching slender shoulders and traditional Japanese garments hanging down to a pair of sandals with ridiculous lift.

"Mother says it's important."

"She always says that."

Even so, he followed the smaller figure out of the area, homeward bound.


End file.
